In addition to the vivid Super AMOLED display and native support for Google Talk video calls, a key differentiating feature in the Nexus S is the near-field communications (NFC) chip. This works with Google’s Wallet service, a method to pay for goods by tapping a smartphone on a payment terminal. At the Wallet launch, which was exclusive to the Nexus S for Sprint’s (s s) network, Google said it planned to expand support to more phones, and I suspect the Nexus S for AT&T(s t) is the next Wallet-capable handset.

Since no other Android handsets have NFC chips, it looks like the Nexus S is the only game in town for Google Wallet, but that doesn’t mean other handsets are getting stale. A software upgrade taking the LG G2x from Froyo to Gingerbread appeared this week. T-Mobile didn’t officially announce the upgrade, but LG’s software upgrader application can download it to Windows(s msft) PC and install it on the phone. I haven’t yet tested the upgrade, but several readers have, indicating smoother overall performance. That’s welcome as G2x owners have experienced some slowness and random reboots with the phone; a shame because it has potential to be a peppy performer with the dual-core chip and stock Android interface.

On the tablet side for Android, consumers, developers and analysts are still trying to understand how Honeycomb tablet sales are doing. Apple’s iPad(s aapl) gobbled up 9.3 million sales in the last quarter and has now sold 28 million units. Given that companies aren’t sharing exact Android tablet sales figures, we can only estimate how Honeycomb is working out nearly 6 months since the platform launched. Using data on both the total number of Android device activations and those that hit the Android Market, a conservative estimate is that one Android tablet is sold for every eight iPads. Looking solely at data over a two-week period shows the gap could be as high as 21 iPads for every Honeycomb device.

There’s plenty of time for Honeycomb’s numbers to improve though as the tablet market is still relatively young. And this situation mirrors that of Android’s start in the smartphone market as well. When the G1 launched in October of 2008, I pointed out that it would take at least six months before the platform matured enough to capture developer’s attention. We’ll know by the holiday season if the same pattern holds true for Android tablets.

When I tested out the G2x a few months ago, I said at the time it was the fastest T-Mobile phone yet. That’s because the dual-core 1GHz Nvidia Tegra 2 (s nvda) processor powered a stock Android interface; LG didn’t bog the phone down with many software customizations.

But some G2x owners have complained of random reboots — I’ve seen this myself from time to time — and other software or performance glitches. It seems as though the software is holding the hardware back, so hopefully, the firmware update addresses some of the current issues. I’d also like to see LG push out Android 2.3.4, and not 2.3.3, which is what this version is. Why? It’s seems a shame that the handset’s front facing camera can’t be used for Google Talk video chats, which requires Android 2.3.4.

Note that the stock camera interface, not LG’s custom app, is part of this ROM, so this may not be the final version. And the ROM will remove root access for those that have it. Regardless, the updated software will be welcome by those G2x owners that like to tinker or try new ROMs. If you have a G2x and would rather not wait for an over the air upgrade, Phandroid has a link to the software updater package, which runs on Microsoft Windows (s msft) computers.

Android Activist is giving away a free T-Mobile LG G2X.

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The best part – to win, all that you need to do is write a 500 word entry of what you feel being an Android Activist is – and how you are one. There are legalities (required by law) like being over 18 – only in the US, ladi-da.

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Alright, so why am I mentioning this on my blog?

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Well, I found this to be an extremely clever idea. So much so that I have submitted an article (pasted below for you). I would love a chance to win this phone… but I also would love all of you to have that chance.

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I also feel that if you sit down and start typing you are going to reflect on the Android Community and what it means to you. It would be very cool to me to know that one of my readers one a free phone because of my blog – honestly. So, please… do better than me, win this free phone from Android Activist.

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Also, I know many of my readers followed my from the Vibrant section at XDA – Both Roman and Whitehawk have the G2X. The phone is rumored to have issues (Class Action Lawsuit was just filed)…. but others seemingly see no issues at all. I’d imagine CyanogenMod 7 would fix any ills it has, ha.

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Please go check their site out. Here is a direct link to the contest. You can find them on Twitter at @AndroidActivist as well. Be sure and let them know what you think.

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Below is my entry to the contest. I verified with them I could publish it and not be disqualified. I won’t lie; I’d appreciate it if you guys sent them a tweet if you feel I’d be a good person to win… I’ll make some guides on XDA / RootzWiki, haha. Okay enough promoting… my entry:

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To proclaim yourself an Android Activist – and one worthy of a free phone at that, well that is a tall order. Am I worthy of this honor? Well, lets first define what an Android Activist consists of. In the context of Android – I believe this is someone who advocates for the entire Android Community, and for no reason other than they feel that it is the Right thing to do.

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It’s not just about paying for apps, rather than using 3^rd party app sites to get them for free – it is promoting the work of someone you’ve never met, because you appreciate their talent and time.

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It’s not about reading about malware found on 3^rd party app sites or trying to ban people together to shut down a site that is charging people for others work, that does not give credit – It is about going on radio shows to help spread the warning! Trying to tell those who may not be as familiar about the importance of using legitimate App Stores – checking App Permissions and not paying for ROMs.

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It’s not about just answering questions on XDA or RootzWiki, or simply searching before creating a thread – it is about writing guides for the “noobs” that you meticulously go over. Making certain they are as clear as possible… adding in pictures and videos just to help clarify certain steps – and not feeling satisfied when one of your guides has over 100,000 views. Maybe it is also about spending hours at a time texting with complete strangers, simply because it is their first time rooting or flashing their phone and they need some hand-holding.

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It is not about sending a $5 donation to a developer every now and then – it is about creating a blog where you can interview them. You get to share with the community a side of these guys and gals most never see – you point out their work and family life that is often overlooked by the end-user. You remind people just how valuable these developers are to our community – that this work is done in their spare time, for free. You encourage the absolute utmost respect for them and you expect none in return.

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It is not about complaining about the next version of Android, that is not released on your phone yet – it is about creating a public relations / social media blitz on a mass scale, with a very well organized and clear message. A message so loudly yelled that the phone manufacturer contacts you to address the concerns, and a week later the phone gets an OS update. Maybe people credit you for this due to your efforts, but deep down you know it’s because of the community, the community that you love and advocate for.

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These are some of the things that I have done for our community. They were done simply because I love the Android Community that much. These are not the reasons that I should win a free phone though. I would consider this a success if just one of you who reads this will also become an Android Activist with me.

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My name is Callip. You may know me as s15274n or @CallipH if I have helped you in the past. I am an Android Activist. I encourage you, please join me.

Take for example the game I showed off for Shelly on the phone, Samurai 2: Vengeance. Now, the game from Czech developer Madfinger Games has a mediocre-bordering-on-miserable story attached. Presented between each level in panel by panel style like a graphic novel, the banal tale almost made me avoid playing the game in full.

Yet because the Japanese woodcut-inspired artwork has so much lurid personality, I felt immersed in this fast-paced, inexpensive game. For instance, as I peered over a wooden bridge, a river below flowed red with burbling lava. Japanese folk music was strummed quietly. And then, whoosh, I’m ask to slice and dice the baddies who stop me from wreaking vengeance on those who murdered my wife and child (at least that’s how I remember the mediocre plot).

For the four hours it took to play to the finale, I even marveled at the bloodletting. With a gruesome swish, you cut your foes in half. With a splatter of blood on the wooden bridge, they fall, and you move on to the take on the next enemy. I had the most difficulty with a whirling dervish of an enemy, who spun and cut me even as I bolted away.

There was a problem that bedeviled me, however. The touchscreen controls for battle are far to the right of the screen, almost at the edge. Often in the anxious heat of battle, my finger moved slightly to the right beyond the screen to hit the home button on phone. Which meant I had to boot the game again. Such a wild move paused the game, so it didn’t require a full restart. Still, it was annoying to be taken away from the brutal action so constantly.

Overall, though, I felt the graphically superior games I played on the Google Android operating system performed quite well. Certainly, the number of games on the Nvidia Tegra platform pales in comparison to the behemoth competition of Apple. Yet to find more than a modicum of games available was a happy surprise. And Samurai II: Vengeance had moments of console-grade excitement. And, oh yeh, when the T-Mobile service finds 4G service, it’s really zippy, even when you want to send the cut-above 8 mega-pixel photos the phone’s camera takes.

–Harold Goldberg

I have had an iPhone since the 3G. Before that, I had a Palm Treo 750. That was my first smartphone. I remember waiting for Palm to release the 750 on ATT, running Windows Mobile. It  hooked up with my Exchange server at work. I was in awe every time I picked up that Treo, marveling at the incredibly amazing feats I could perform with it. But that first sense of admiration at smartphone capabilities couldn’t hold a candle to my first experience with the iPhone. Apple’s seminal tech that changed how we all viewed such phones and raised the bar on mobile devices to impossible new heights. Quite simply, the iPhone changed the entire mobile phone industry singlehandedly. And while it hasn’t had quite the innovative leap of late as it did with its introduction, Apple keeps on refining the svelte device to make it perform better, smarter, and faster. I have the 4 now, having replaced the 3G with the 3GS, and then waiting in that interminably long line for the 4. To say that I love the phone (despite two battery failures on two different models) would be an understatement. Can’t wait for iOS 5.

However, I am now finding my attention divided. Little more than a month ago, I got a replacement for my aging Blackberry Curve, a phone I NEVER could bond with, no matter how hard I tried. My replacement? A shiny new LG G2x, an Android-powered (packing 2.2.2), dual core processing, 4G surfing, 4″ Gorilla glass screen wearing, 8 megapixel and 1080 p HD shooting monster. And now I find I have to make a conscious decision every time I reach for my phone.

The G2x is not without some difficulties. Apparently there are a few bugs in the current build, which hopefully will be resolved with the Gingerbread update scheduled for “summer.” I find that about every two weeks I have to pop the battery to wake the phone back up. But I don’t mind. Because when it is running, it is running FAST. Carl-Lewis-fast.

Look what showed up on my desk!

Why hello there, little (well, maybe not so little) phone

The box came with the phone, charger plug, separate USB to micro USB cable and battery. Well, whaddya know?A battery that you can remove and replace. Sure wish my 3GS and 4 had that. My first sense of the phone was that it felt bigger and heavier than the 4, which I can easily slip in my pocket. The G2x is a bit more of a shove – it doesn’t always fit nicely into the spaces the 4 can fit into.

When I fired up the phone, I was amazed by the big bright screen. I was greeted by the battery charge symbol, but a press of the power button on the top treated me to a cute little animation – a diminutive Android robot taking off, leaving a cloud and the G2x logo. O.k., no doubt I am easily amused.

The phone comes with 8 GB of internal memory, but it can support up to an additional 32 GB, with a micro SD card. I haven’t added one yet, as I haven’t needed to load much onto the phone directly (more on that later). A cool feature is the ability to send HDMI out – there is a micro-sized output, and you can get a cable to send to your TV or other monitor. With the high definition this phone offers, you can play some pretty awesome video graphics on the phone and see them on your gorgeous, big screen. Not to mention the games. I hear NFS Shift looks pretty amazing on the big screen.

HDMI out. Too awesome.

But hardware aside, the really neat experience for me is the Android OS. Of course, reviewing mobile apps as I do, I have been very eager to try out this operating system. The LG G2x apparently boasts a purer version of Android than many, with its stock Android OS  stripped of most of the usual carrier mods, bells and whistles. I personally consider this a benefit, and apparently it also means that the G2x will be nearer the top of the heap when it comes to OS updates. Although the Gingerbread update timeframe is still up in the air. Also, as a big user and fan of Google products, I love how Google’s apps are integrated so tightly into the mobile Android OS. Google keeps finessing these apps with greater functionality all the time. Setting up Google’s apps on Android is a complete breeze. Much easier than the hobbled iPhone implementations. A few clicks, entering your Google credentials and a sync with the Web and you have it. Many are included on the phone right out of the box; others you can add via the dedicated Android Marketplace app. Downloading is so easy – happens with a couple of clicks, and then you are notified that your app is installed.

The hard buttons at the bottom of the screen – menu, home, back and search are easy to figure out, and in some respects make more sense than Apple’s button arrangement. The phone with Google Voice integration is awesome – every time I make a call, I can choose whether to use my regular phone or my Google Voice number. I barely used Google Voice on the iPhone because of the clumsy methods necessary.

Now about those 8GB. Google does not appear to have the same fear of the cloud that Apple seems to. Froyo has all the pieces in place to support the connection between your device and the cloud (see Google Music discussion below). You can share information between Chrome on your desktop and your mobile easily, with the assistance of apps. Tethering, mobile hotspot and Flash support are built in. Let me say here, though, that the lack of Flash support in iOS has never troubled me. But, it is still nice to have.

Speaking of notifications, there is a reason iOS 5 is copying Android’s notification system. It is light years ahead of the clumsy implementation on the pre 5 OS. Instead of a pop up window that pretty much halts anything you might want to do on the phone (take a photo or video, send an email or text, or search the Web) until you manually send it away, Android’s notifications are tiny – they pop up at the very top of the phone’s screen in the Status bar and can be ignored until you pull down that bar, at which time you can either act on one or more of them or dismiss them all with the press of a button. Genius.

Another brilliant point to Android is Google Music. Of course, these phones aren’t entirely meant to serve as work horses. And, music does sometimes help move things along. I have access to the Google Music beta which is nice on the desktop but wholly amazing on the Android-powered  G2x. I can access my 11,000 song library anywhere I have data service or wi-fi. I use it in my car through my audio system. It works so nicely, I cannot imagine Apple beating this combination in the near future, particularly with the somewhat disappointing news of iCloud + iTunes + the Match service. I don’t need GB’s of space (nearly 40 to be exact) to house my music on the go – I just need a link to the Web.

I have not even really begun to take advantage of the geekier features of the OS. Without having to “jailbreak” your phone (what you have to do to free the iPhone from Apple’s closed prison and draconian app approval standards), you can root your Android phone and open up all sorts of customization possibilities. While this isn’t necessarily something that the average consumer might want to undertake, it is there and available and you don’t have to feel like a fugitive from justice when you do it.

Right now, I am driving this phone much like any consumer would. And that is how I started with the iPhone as well. I wonder whether I would find the Android phone as easy to master if I had started with Android and then moved to Apple OS.  There is no doubt that the Apple OS is targeted to the average user, with gorgeously designed applications and features pared down to their simplest form. I don’t mind that at all, even being a geek myself. I like easy, always have. While power users might chafe at iOS’ simplicity, the iPhone is not designed for them. Pressed to guess, I believe my learning curve with the Android would have been far steeper if it had been my first phone. Apple has definitely broken me in to the touchscreen, app-based interface and I still love its glossy shine.

Small pet peeve here with Android that favors iOS – I do not like the copy / paste function in Android at all. I don’t like the menu interface for it. Another pet-peeve for the particular version of Froyo (Android 2.2) and T-Mobile build that I am running – there is insufficient security built into the phone to pass my corporate security test. I had to download a Nitro app, Touchdown, for $20 to get our secured email / contacts / calendaring system to work on the G2x. Not terribly business-friendly, there.

It is true that Apple’s App Store has the better and larger selection of creative applications, many showing the marks of gorgeous design worthy of the phone. Android is still trying to catch up in that regard. There is something almost makeshift, almost underground to many of the apps I see in the Android marketplace. I cannot give up many of my iOS-only applications so I have no problem running both systems at all.

Where it really gets interesting is when I run the same apps on the different devices. I must admit, three of my favs – Facebook, my6sense and Feedly – actually seem nicer on the Android platform. I love the recent photo previews at the bottom of the Facebook notifications screen in Android. The nice big icons at the front page on my6sense give the app a more finished feel to it. Some of my settings in my6sense reset every time I open the app on the iPhone, but remain the same on teh G2x, so it runs better too. Don’t dismiss the Android market and App quality out of hand just yet – I feel the best is yet to come in this regard.

We are all learning how to live together and get along

So, I am betting you would like to hear which OS / device I prefer. I hate to disappoint, but I really can’t yet say. I like them both, and while many reviewers spew many a word pointing out their differences, there is much in them that feels similar to me. I remember when Android was first ascending – I scoffed at the infant system, assuming that nothing could unseat the iPhone and its impeccably-drawn OS and applications. At this stage, I don’t think a user can go too far wrong with either OS (or the iPhone 4 or LG G2x hardware for that matter). The winning feature  in both is the genius-phone aspect to these new devices and their ability to force the user to eschew traditional computers, desktops and laptops.  How can something so small pack so much punch? Apple needs Android to push the limits so that Apple can keep making its beautiful product even better and vice versa. Ultimately, consumers win. With either Apple or Google at the mobile-helm, I believe the future is looking pretty bright for our little pocket rockets.

Its been over a month since T-Mobile took the G2x off the market, and according to the document above, obtained by TmoNews, the Magenta company does not know when the device will be back.

Now, the question still remains, is this really because of inventory contraints, or is it because of the many issues the device is having? The G2x has experienced a number of issues, including screen bleed and random reboots.

As of right now, we would not recommend LG’s G2x. As it is hindered by numerous issues, and we are still awaiting its Gingerbread update…    


Source: TmoNews

Hardware

For those familiar with HTC handsets, the Sensation 4G isn’t much of a departure, but that’s not a bad thing. The new handset reminds me of a slightly larger, improved version of the Nexus One, which is what I use personally. The overall dimensions may appear large, but the phone’s rounded design keeps it feeling thin.

The main reason for the size is the generous 4.3-inch Super LCD display, which is bright and vivid with its qHD resolution. The screen has good viewing angles from all directions and is usable in direct sunlight. The screen, which curves up slightly at the edges, isn’t as nice as phones that use Samsung’s Super AMOLED displays, but those are still a challenge to use outdoors and use a slightly lower resolution.

Below the display are four capacitive touch buttons, which work well; above the screen is a VGA camera that is good enough for video chatting. Without Android 2.4, however, the Sensation 4G can’t use Google Talk for video and is limited to third-party solutions, such as Qik. Inside the main speaker is an LED notification light. The rear camera is 8 megapixels, has two LED flashes and can capture video up to 108 0p. Aside from the volume buttons and micro USB port on the left and the power button and 3.5 millimeter headphone jack on the top, little else distracts from the overall look and feel of the phone. Our first-look video offers a full, detailed tour of the hardware, including the unique back cover.

You can see it in the video, but the unibody cover is worth mentioning, because it’s more like a case than a cover: The entire innards of the Sensation slide out from the case, offering access to the 1520 mAh user-replaceable battery, SIM card slot and microSD slot. The back cover is aluminum in the center but grippy plastic above and below, which helps to keep the phone from slipping. With the Sensation’s user-accessible memory limited to 1 GB, most consumers will make use of the memory expansion slot, which comes with an 8 GB card and supports up to 32 GB of memory. The memory card can be removed or replaced while the phone is running.

Unlike the T-Mobile G2x, made by LG and powered by a 1 GHz Nvidia Tegra 2 (s nvda) dual-core processor, HTC chose a chip from its longtime partner, Qualcomm. A 1.2 GHz dual-core Snapdragon chip is the heart of the Sensation 4G, while the expected array of wireless and sensor technologies rounds out the picture: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, a 14.4 Mbps radio for T-Mobile’s network, GPS, ambient light sensor and accelerometer. Most of the specifications of the phone are high-end, but the mobile broadband radio is slightly lacking, since T-Mobile’s network is capable of 21 Mbps downloads in many areas and 42 Mbps in nearly four dozen markets currently.

Software

Since the device runs all of the standard Google Android apps, I’ll instead focus mainly on HTC’s software. The Sensation 4G is the first phone to use the new HTC Sense 3.0 software, a custom user interface and set of widgets that take the place of Google’s own Android interface. There’s no easy method to disable Sense and use plain Android, but overall, Sense offers a more pleasing and intuitive experience, not to mention an improved keyboard that speeds input through tracing words.

The most noticeable change from prior versions of Sense is the new Active Lockscreen, which shows information at a glance and provides four user-customizable shortcuts on the Sensation’s lock screen. To unlock the device, you simply drag a ring icon up from the bottom of the screen. Dragging one of the four shortcuts into the ring unlocks the phone and opens the specific application. Dragging the camera icon to the ring, for example, immediately brings you to the camera app. The feature is clever and useful.

Sense brings seven home screens, each of which can be set up with widgets, shortcuts, folders and more. Swiping left or right moves through the home screens in a 3-D-like carousel, which is a nice visual but adds little value. Also pleasing to look at is the HTC Weather widget, which I used as my lock screen background: The entire display emulates the local weather, complete with sounds and visuals of the sun, moving clouds, lightning and rain. A “personalize” function allows customization of user skins, scenes, wallpapers, notification sounds and more.

HTC has also tweaked Android’s notification shade, and it’s better than what Google offers. Pulling down the shade shows the most recently used apps as well as all outstanding notifications from applications. But the shade has a second tab specific to the phone’s most basic settings. Tap it and you can easily access settings for Wi-Fi, the mobile hotspot function, Bluetooth or GPS. This tab also shows the current memory in use, which doubles as a limited task manager application.

Other HTC apps include Watch and Listen, which are the beginnings of HTC’s media offerings. Watch offers movie and television content for rentals or purchase. Although the video library is relatively sparse when compared to Apple’s iTunes store (s aapl), the prices are comparable. Video previews are available for some but not all titles, and they look crisp and clear on the Sensation 4G. Listen, powered by MusicStation, appears to be more of a work in progress: Few new albums are available.

Performance

Although the Sensation uses a faster 1.2 GHz dual-core processor, I found the performance to generally be on par with the 1 GHz Tegra-powered G2x. That’s not a bad thing, but folks expecting a noticeable performance difference between the two aren’t likely to see one. Overall, the phone is fairly snappy and responsive: Menus don’t open instantly, but there’s very little lag. I suspect the reason for the lag is twofold. The Sense user interface over Android adds a little bit of overhead, and Qualcomm’s Snapdragon MSM8260 uses a modified Cortex-A8 core instead of the newer Cortex-A9. Still, the phone will be fast enough for most.

My tests of the phone’s mobile broadband in an area with full 21 Mbps support averaged a 3.5 Mbps download, 1.7 Mbps upload and 70 millisecond ping time, with faster occasional peaks, showing the limitation of the radio. While these aren’t slow speeds and performance will vary by location and coverage area, I expected faster speeds from a phone with a 4G label. Wi-Fi worked well on my two home networks as well as on public hotspots, as did the mobile hotspot functionality I used with a Wi-Fi tablet.

Even with the dual-core processor and large display to light up, the Sensation 4G makes it through a full day on a single charge. But you’ll need to charge it nightly, especially with heavy use during the day. As far as the cameras go, HTC isn’t known for top-notch images, but I noticed a big improvement with the Sensation 4G, both for stills and videos. Certain Nokia cameras and the iPhone 4 offer higher quality, but the Sensation has the best camera I’ve used yet on an HTC device. Videos can be trimmed while stills enjoy basic edit functions; both stills or movies can be shared via email or various third-party services.

Phone calls were clear, and signal strength was good for all of my voice activities, with no call drops. The speakerphone is quite loud, and there are several microphones located on the back and bottom of the Sensation, making for clear hands-free calls.

Conclusion

With just a few small shortcomings, I think the Sensation 4G is one of the best, if not the best, handset available for T-Mobile today, with a few caveats. You’ll have to want a larger display, not mind HTC’s Sense interface and accept that there are phones with faster radios available. For $199 with a contract, the Sensation 4G is well worth the money, due to its ease of use, high-resolution display and improved camera. I’m considering the purchase of one myself, although I may hold off to see if and when Samsung’s Galaxy S 2 arrives for T-Mobile, which should rival the Sensation 4G.

The G2x is a mighty fine phone, and one we’d almost always whole heartedly recommend to our friends looking to jump into the Android world. Alas, there’s a fairly decent chance that recommendation might result in some of our friends hating us.

Here’s the problem: while it’s generally a mighty fine phone, there seems to be a batch or two out there floating around with some rather nasty issues — namely, it reboots itself just about whenever the heck it sees fit. Said issues have lead to talks of a recall — something which, according to a statement from T-Mobile to PC Mag, just isn’t in the cards right now.

The issue is software-related, it seems, as the T-Mobile rep also indicated that they “are working with LG to deliver a software update, which [they] expect to offer some performance enhancements.” Of course, there’s always a chance that there are hardware issues that have just slipped under T-Mobile’s radar — we’ll just have to wait and see if LG can software-patch away our woes.

The first category is the messaging phone, with its primary focus being emailing and texting.  In this category, there is really only one player, Research in Motion’s Blackberry device.  These phones are built specifically for messaging with a comfortable QWERTY keyboard and an all intuitive messaging setup.

• The leader in this field is the Blackberry Bold and the upcoming Blackberry Bold Touch.  The only difference between the two devices is the Bold Touch adds a capacitive touchscreen to go along with a very generous QWERTY keyboard.  I won’t inundate you with the specs on these devices, because let’s be honest…only IT professionals and hackers are interested in it…normal consumers just care about the experience.  With that in mind, I will say the Bold and the Bold Touch offer you an amazing messaging experience both through RIM’s Blackberry Internet Service as well as its Blackberry Enterprise Server.
• The midrange model in this field also comes from RIM, the Blackberry Curve.  The device that is synonymous with RIM’s introduction to the consumer market.  In fact, for the longest time, the Blackberry Curve was the best selling smartphone in the entire world.  RIM has done very little to screw this one up, while constantly upgrading its options on this device.  The Curve carries a slower processor than the Bold and Bold Touch, but it has enough power to handle any heavy messaging or texting user.  It adds the added bonus of having Wi-Fi and Bluetooth as well as GPS and most important RIM’s secure email servers.
• Other companies have tried to make inroads into this market, often with limited success.  Motorola introduced the Android powered Droid Pro, kind of like a Blackberry on steroids in looks, but it lacks the one thing that sets Blackberry apart from everyone else and that is their Push Email system.  Android powered phones offer you the convenience of an IMAP Gmail service, but for corporate users your options are limited.
• Samsung recently introduced a similar device on the Sprint network, carrying the branding Replenished.  A full QWERTY keyboard smart phone also running Android, the Replenished offers those environmentally conscience the chance to use a phone made out of 100% recycled materials.

The second category is the super-smartphones.  These are phones that offer you most of the functions of a laptop computer while in a phone form factor, although some devices are coming close to becoming too big for us to call it a phone.

• Obviously the leader of the pack in the category is Apple’s iPhone 4.  A superbly designed piece of hardware, combined with Apple’s elegant iOS software, the iPhone basically jump started the current smartphone boom with its introduction 3 cycles ago.  What Apple did that differentiated itself from its then competitors was to pack the operating power of one of their laptops into a phone, unlike its competitors back then that simplified its software for the phone.  iPhone 4 is still a leader in this field, with its Retina Display, Facetime Calling and App Stores, but Android is slowly catching up with its open source operating system and numerous OEM manufactured hardware.
• The top of the line Android device is the Google Nexus S from Samsung.  Google’s current developers phone, the Nexus S runs the latest version of its Android operating system along with new technology that Google believes will become relevant in smartphones in the coming future.  One being its imbedded NFC chip, that’s Near Field Communication chip…which offers vendors a way to possibly use your mobile phone as a payment option in the near future.  Its other innovation is the contour display, a slight bend in the display that is supposed to make the phone flusher with your face while you’re talking to it.  I believe that is more of a fad, but let Google have their way.
• Android OS is the top operating system on the market right now, having its presence on all 4 major carriers in the US as well as regional carriers both domestic and international.  Verizon has its Droid branded line up, with the Motorola Droid X being its flagship device.  Sprint conversely has its EVO line with the upcoming 3D device, the EVO 3D promises to bring glassless 3D viewing to the mobile market.  T-Mobile will continue the evolution of the original Android G series phone with the G2X flagship phone running a dual-core processor and 4+ inch display.  AT&T comes to the table with the innovative Motorola Atrix 4G, which gives you the option of a 4+ inch display as well as the option of a laptop dock which will gives the phone an option to become a laptop.
• Others in the field include the renewed presence of Microsoft with its Windows Mobile 7 operating system, which is currently being integrated into Nokia handsets.  That combination is due out next year and as an observer of smartphones, the combination of Nokia superb hardware plus a pretty snappy operating system…it going to become a significant presence in the smartphone field for the years to come.

I’ve spent a day with an Infuse 4G review unit and I’m extremely impressed with the screen as it uses Samsung’s Super AMOLED Plus technology. Colors are extremely vivid on the 800×480 screen. The new Infuse 4G also supports 21 Mbps downloads; another first for the carrier, although AT&T’s network is not yet equipped to provide such speeds yet.

In terms of computing speeds, the device skips the current dual-core CPU craze and instead uses Samsung’s single core 1.2 GHz chip. Responsiveness is very good, but not as good as the dual-core T-Mobile G2x that I used earlier this past week. In this brief overview video, you can see a demo of 1080p video playback, immersive 3-D gaming and the overall speediness of the G2x and it’s dual-core 1 GHz Nvidia(s nvda) processor.

But phones aren’t the only devices with dual-core processors: Android tablets have them too and this week Google decided to take advantage of the benefits these chips bring. An updated version of Google Earth landed this week as a free download in the Android Market. The tablet version is more like the full desktop version than the mobile handset edition, bringing a desktop-like experience to Honeycomb tablets. Notable features include a textured, 3-D building layer that leverages the graphics of advanced mobile processors and pop-up context menus for landmarks, points of interest and user-contributed photos of locations.

While many traditional tablet makers are planning to rule the Earth with Google tablets, a non-traditional player looks to be entering the market soon. Reports surfaced this week indicating that Amazon will have a tablet in the second half of 2011. This isn’t too surprising as the web retailing giant already has an Android AppStore of its own and supports Android devices through various software solutions such as Amazon MP3 and Kindle apps. Amazon (s amzn) also has a Cloud Storage service for storing media, video-on-demand and software that streams music from Amazon’s servers to Android handsets.

What is surprising is that few Android owners I speak with are using the Amazon AppStore. This complementary alternative to Google’s own store solves many problems with the Android Market. Namely, it provides better curation and discovery of apps, offers a free mobile app each day and the paid titles may be cheaper than Google’s own store as Amazon sets prices. Our poll is tracking who does and who doesn’t use the Amazon AppStore, so chime in if you’re an Android device owner.

Heres the rear bumper.. Nothing special a little scratched just like the front but overall looks good =)

Other than that got a new phone to keep me busy till Ocarina of Time comes out for 3DS
Phone can record in 1080p cant wait to try it out when i get home in a few weeks

Improvements noted in the preview:

• Improved performance: Quadrant score of 2435 up from 2100/2200 in Froyo.
• Scrolling and touch sensitivity improved
• Enhanced Gingerbread Keyboard
• Revamped Gingerbread UI
• WiFi calling feature in tact

The review also noted that the build reverted back to the stock Gingerbread photo application instead of the enhanced app provided by LG in the stock Android OS 2.2 build.

T-Mobile had tweeted earlier that the Gingerbread updated would be coming soon; it looks like we won’t have to wait long.

Source: thisismynext via androidguys

Sounds really good right now…

Last month I covered CTIA for Engadget in Orlando. It was a lot of work with little sleep, but it was also great fun!

Check out my pictures above (slide show – including Shamu), and hit the break to see the news I reported…

My CTIA posts for Engadget:
- Sony Ericsson Xperia Play for Verizon
- LG G2x
- LG G-Slate bundled apps
- Google Nexus S 4G
- Google Voice for Sprint
- T-Mobile 4G Mobile Hotspot

My other contributions:
- Nokia Astound
- HTC EVO 3D

My podcast appearances:
- Mobile 081

Other notable posts:
- CTIA 2011 wrap-up

The LG G2x for T-Mobile was my pick of the show, and the HTC EVO 3D for Sprint definitely caught my attention.

HTC Sensation

I’m sure many smartphone enthusiasts out there can agree that the next big thing in the cellular world is the inclusion of multi-core processors in future smartphones. With the recent release of the T-Mobile G2x by LG, many potential buyers were met with a difficult dilemma when HTC announced that their new multimedia powerhouse, the Sensation, is set for a summer release here in the US on T-Mobile. So would it be wise to wait for the Sensation and go with the tried-and-true Taiwanese manufacturer, or buy the G2x now and see if LG’s ready for the high-end arena? Here I present what I feel are the most important aspects that you should consider when deciding. So if you care to hear me out, hit the break and read on!

T-Mobile G2x by LG

Processor – Both the Sensation and G2x sport dual-core processors, albeit with different clock speeds and perhaps more importantly, different manufacturers. The G2x utilizes Nvidia’s impressive Tegra 2 dual-core processor (1 GHz), a popular choice amongst many recent Android tablets and smartphones. The Sensation continues HTC’s loyalty to Qualcomm and will weld their new dual-core Snapdragon processor that will be running at a scorching 1.2 GHz. There’s no doubt that both processors are fast enough to power their respective devices, but perhaps the main difference will be in the gaming department.

Nvidia has worked to make its name synonymous to graphics and gaming performance, so it should come as no surprise that this is definitely their home turf. Gaming on recent Tegra 2 equipped devices has looked marvelous, but Qualcomm seems confident that their new Snapdragon will not only be able to hang, but also outperform Tegra. Only time will tell I guess. We simply cannot decide on a winner in this first round of major specs, so choose your poison.

The HTC Sensation's 4.3 inch qHD display is gorgeous

Display – Another major difference between the G2x and Sensation are their displays, which in my opinion are equally as important as a their processors. The G2x shields itself with a 4 inch IPS display with 800 x 480 resolution. Although its sharpness and colors are admirable, the lack of an extra 0.3 inch may cause many to choose the Sensation’s screen instead. Although Steve Jobs believes that devices with displays larger than the iPhone’s measly 3.5 inch screen are obnoxiously big, owners of the EVO 4G and Droid X (and there are many of them) are living proof that consumers enjoy and want smartphones with larger screens. The Sensation’s screen (4.3 inch) is not only larger than the G2x’s, it’s also a qHD display with 960 x 540 resolution, so you can expect quite a good looking screen that should be very visually pleasing. In addition, both displays are protected by Corning’s increasingly popular Gorilla Glass. With its larger size and higher resolution display, the Sensation takes this round.

HTC's unibody construction

Hardware – I believe that Apple has the best hardware design of any smartphone manufacturer. Like it or not, the iPhone 4 is one sexy beast. Whether you think the glass covering is a dumb idea or not, many average consumers and phone nerds alike can agree that the phone simply looks amazing. With that said, to represent Team Android well, upcoming Android smartphones need to LOOK just as good as they perform. Many people believe that the G2x is a great piece of hardware with a beautiful design, but I personally love HTC’s unibody construction. To me, HTC’s hardware design is the only one that can rival that of Apple’s. Some may like their phones light and thin (meaning plastic material), but I prefer hefty phones made of premium material (like metal). The Sensation takes this round too as it simply looks a lot better than the G2x…in my opinion (this is a blog right?)

New custom lockscreens on HTC Sense 3.0

Software – Our last bit of discussion lies here in the software category. There are basically two types of Android fanboys: those that are Android purists and will not use any device that isn’t running stock Android, and those who don’t mind custom UIs on top of Android. Let it be known that I personally like custom UIs. I think they bring much needed polish and functionality to Android. Don’t get me wrong, Android as it is built by Google is great. It brings a plethora of features and functionality that other operating systems (*cough* iOS) does not offer (no fanboyism here, simply stating the facts). Although my previous statement is true, there are many aspects of Android that could be improved upon and that is exactly the point of custom UIs. Sure, some UIs like Motoblur are extremely laggy, but others like Sense and TouchWiz aren’t too bad. If we have phones that have the horsepower to make sure the experience isn’t laggy, isn’t it a good thing to have the added features of custom UIs? With that said, I’d choose HTC Sense over stock Android on a superphone any day. Sensation wins again.

Conclusion – Now I know that it seems like I’m being a little bias towards the Sensation, but honestly, I’m simply basing all my decisions on the hard facts and reasoning that I have provided above. All in all, the G2x is an AWESOME device, but the Sensation will be better. Now whether or not the difference between the two is great enough for you to wait a few months to get the Sensation is totally your decision. There are a bunch of other specs that you should probably go research and compare between the two devices before formulating a final decision. I have simply brought to your attention what I believe are the major features that are important when deciding on a new smartphone and how one is better than the other in these categories. Happy hunting!

LG's first high-end Android smartphone released in the US

The T-Mobile G2x by LG was recently released on Wednesday, April 20, 2011. Early reviews from various reputable sources such as engadget.com, laptopmag.com, and phonedog.com have rated the device quite high, with PhoneDog’s Editor-In-Chief, Aaron Baker, calling it “the best Android device on the market right now.” Is it REALLY that great of a device? Hit the break for our thoughts on the G2x.

It’s FAST!!! - The G2x is the second phone (Motorola Atrix 4G was the first) released in the US with Nvidia’s largely popular and widely used Tegra 2 dual-core processor. With two cores each running at 1 GHz, the G2x has the horsepower to keep up with any daunting task you may throw at it. Be it web browsing, media consumption, or gaming, the G2x effortlessly delivers seamless performance. Unlike its current Tegra-equipped competitor (Atrix 4G), which occasionally lags, the G2x actually performs blazingly fast and more importantly, on a consistent basis. Many believe that there really isn’t a noticeable difference between dual-core and 2nd generation single-core phones, but believe us, the G2x definitely outperforms the likes of HTC’s Thunderbolt and Samsung’s Nexus S in day-to-day use.

Android, the way Google built it – Another large selling point (for some) for the G2x is its OS weapon of choice: a clean, stock build of Android 2.2 (Froyo). This vanilla version of Android is not tainted with a manufacturer’s proprietary overlay (such as Motoblur, Sense, TouchWiz, etc.), and because of this, the phone is able to really shine in the speed department. Many people hate custom UIs because of the occasional hiccups and general slow-down that they cause (we personally like the added features and overall polish that some custom UIs like HTC Sense offers) and because of this, the G2x will surely outshine many other Android smartphones.

The evolution of video capture on smartphones continues – The G2x comes equipped with an 8 megapixel camera with an LED flash and auto-focus capabilities. What makes this camera truly impressive is its ability to capture and play back full 1080p HD video. The G2x is the first high-end smartphone in the US that has this capability. Imagine, Blu-Ray quality videos on your phone! (Technically true, but realistically, Blu-Ray 1080p looks a lot better)

HDMI out and full mirroring are awesome features – Along with the ability to capture full HD video, the addition of a HDMI out port and full mirroring capabilities allows the G2x to share its power with a larger audience through an HDTV. This is a great feature that has many practical uses, especially when gaming and watching videos. Who needs a bunch of old school gaming consoles when you can just run various emulators on your phone and see them on your HDTV?

Nice display, but no Retina/Super AMOLED – The display that comes on the G2x is a 4 inch (diagonal) IPS (800 x 480) display. While it doesn’t have the high pixel density of the iPhone 4′s Retina Display or the beautiful colors of Samsung’s Super AMOLED, it is still quite crisp and sharp, with good color throughput. Average consumers will find nothing to complain about here, but for those who have seen the Retina and Super AMOLED in action, the G2x’s screen may be a bit of a let-down.

In addition to the main points discussed above, there are quite a few mentionable features that the G2x offers, such as the ability to take screenshots without the need of rooting the device. Simply press and hold the Power + Home buttons and a screenshot image is automatically saved in your Gallery.

We think that the G2x is definitely an Android powerhouse with an impressive spec sheet. The only things that we wish it had was a higher-end and specialized display such as the iPhone’s Retina Display and/or Samsung’s Super AMOLED (LG’s own NOVA Display would have sealed the deal here). Other nit picky things that only us phone geeks would complain about is the 24 fps cap while recording 1080p video, a somewhat “old-generation” amount of RAM (512 MB), lack of larger internal storage (such as the 16 GB storage found in some Galaxy S devices). Oh, and of course, the lack of the latest version of Android out of the box (2.3, Gingerbread). Despite all these small shortcomings, the G2x is still an extraordinary device and we do agree that it is the best Android device currently on the market. How long will it hang onto this title? Maybe until the HTC Sensation or Samsung Galaxy S II come out later this summer.